


There's Nothing to be Afraid Of

by Opuscule_Owl



Category: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Not Really Character Death, One Shot, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opuscule_Owl/pseuds/Opuscule_Owl
Summary: This is based on the scene in Order of the Phoenix where we see Molly Weasley fighting her boggart.Ben Copper stumbles across you fighting a boggart and realizes that everything might be weighing on you more than you let on. This takes place during your sixth year.*Small TW: There are some short descriptions of death and injuries/blood. It is quick and no one actually dies, but be warned*
Relationships: Ben Copper/Player Character (Hogwarts Mystery)
Kudos: 16





	There's Nothing to be Afraid Of

Ben clutched his arithmancy homework as he wandered through the corridor trying to find the abandoned classroom he had agreed to meet you in. He had recently been struggling a lot with his transfiguration work and had reached out to you for help. You had suggested getting help from Rowan, but Ben always preferred to work with you. You never made fun of him when he got scared and always gently explained when he got something wrong. And you could always make Ben laugh, which was a plus. But now he was scared that he had gotten lost looking for the study area you had picked out. It was too cold to study outside and Ben was way too afraid of Madam Pince to work in the library, so you had suggested working in a classroom that went unused and that Ben had never heard of her seen. He was about to give up and turn around before he saw the room he was looking for.

He broke into a light jog towards the partially opened door. As he drew closer, he heard your voice, so he slowed to a stop right outside the door and listened. To his surprise, it was the Dumbledore’s voice he now heard coming from the room. “I told you to stop looking for the Cursed Vaults, didn’t I? Now look at what’s happened.” Ben was terribly confused. He didn’t know what Dumbledore was talking about. As far as Ben knew, nothing terrible had come from their search for the vaults. In fact, it had been a while since you had even gone face to face with a vault. He couldn’t imagine anything they’d done recently that would get the attention of the headmaster. However, his wonderings were answered as he heard you weakly squeak out: “R-ridikulus.”

A boggart. Ben thought. How odd. He remembered the last time they fought a boggart and yours had turned into He Who Must Not Be Named and you had triumphantly banished it. Of course, that was in third year, so it was no surprise that your fear would have shifted in three years, but Ben wasn’t sure why the boggart would appear as Dumbledore of all people. Sure, he would scold you for meddling with the vaults, but Ben didn’t think of him as particularly scary. And if Ben didn't find him scary, he couldn't imagine why you would. You let out a small cry, which jolted Ben from his thoughts and caused him to peek around the door.

He saw you in a sweater and jeans, wand in front of you, with your back to the door, in the center of the room. The boggart was not banished and was towards the back wall. It had changed appearance and Ben nearly dropped his books when he saw it. It had taken the form of Bill Weasley. Now Ben wasn’t sure what the Boggart was playing at because Ben was sure that one of your closest friends couldn’t be your greatest fear as well. That is until he took a longer look at Boggart Bill. It was lying on the ground, wand in hand with eyes open. But something was off and Ben saw how pale Bill’s skin was under his freckles and how sunken his eyes were and that’s when Ben realized. Your greatest fear wasn’t Bill, but Bill dying.

Ben heard you try and cast Ridikulus again, but your voice came out very weak and trembling, so the spell did nothing. The Boggart took the chance to change into another Weasley. Charlie was now in the place of his older brother, with the same pale face and sunken features and torn robes, with cuts and bruises all over his face and arms. Ben heard you let out another small cry and the boggart switched again, this time showing Andre, with his purple scarf in tatters around his neck. Then Tulip, with blood that matched the shade of her hair smeared across her. Then Tonks, with her usual vibrant pink hair lying straight and faded to a mousy brown and the characteristic smirk no longer on her face. You were trembling and Ben thought he could hear you sobbing. He wanted to step in and help you, but he also wasn’t sure if you’d want him to. But every time you tried to banish the boggart the incantation came out weaker and weaker and the boggart kept changing. Changing into more of their friends’ corpses. Barnaby with a frozen look of confusion as if he was trying to understand his own death. Into Penny with her hair half ripped out of her braids. To Ben himself with a look of horror etched onto his face which caused the real Ben to shudder. To Rowan, glasses smashed and looking strangely at peace, which caused you to cry out “No! Rowan!” And, finally, the boggart shifted to a boy that Ben did not know. However, from looking at the color of his hair and his facial features and the way you fell to your knees, sobbing, it was easy for Ben to know that this was Jacob, your older brother.

This final transformation convinced Ben that you had seen enough and had tried your hardest to no avail. He fumbled for his wand, trying to grab it without dropping his books. While he struggled, the boggart switched again to Dumbledore. “I had warned against you messing with curses, warned that someone would get hurt. Now all your friends have died. Do you understand now, Ms. [Y/L/N]?” Ben had finally gotten his wand out of his robes and looked up to see you nodding solemnly while looking at the ground as boggart Dumbledore slowly approached you. Suddenly filled with courage and determination he burst through the door crying, “Stay away from her!” which caused you to look at him with surprised, watering eyes. The boggart also turned to Ben and shifted into a Death Eater, a fear that had become more prevalent in his later years. But Ben found himself unafraid for perhaps the first time in his life as he pointed his wand at the boggart and cast Riddikulus. To Ben’s surprise, the spell came out strong enough to banish the boggart completely, and the image of the Death Eater disappeared with a faint pop.

Silence filled the room. Breathing heavily, Ben turned to see you still kneeling on the ground, sobbing and shaking. “[Y/N]?” he said, trying to get your attention, but you didn’t look up at him. To be completely honest, Ben wasn’t one hundred percent sure what to do. He certainly didn’t want to just stare at his friend who was obviously so shaken. But he was unfamiliar with the idea that you were the one afraid and he was the one who wasn’t. Every time they had gone on a curse-breaking adventure, or even when they had a class together, it was always you telling Ben to be brave and helping him overcome his fear. You were always such a pillar of strength in his eyes, someone he, and all of their friends, could rely on to be strong even when everyone else wasn’t. “Ben?” you said. Ben jumped, surprised that you had spoken. You were looking directly at him and Ben could see your tear-stained face, your terrified eyes, and your trembling lips. “How much did you see?” you asked, so very quietly. “A lot,” he said. You didn’t say anything, just looked down again. Ben started to panic, afraid that you thought he had just been watching idly. “I-I wanted to help earlier, but I…I wasn’t sure if you…I mean you seemed…Well, I thought you–”

“It’s alright, Ben,” you said. But Ben didn’t feel alright. He needed to do something. C’mon, think! What would you want someone to do for you? What would you do if you were this scared? Of course, that was easy for him to answer. When he was afraid he went to the artefact room. But he didn’t think that it would be wise to take you there. You never really seemed to like it there. He didn’t blame you. Not everyone likes hanging out in a dark closet that held a vast array of weird items. Ben liked it because it gave him a place to think and be alone for a little bit. He even kind of liked the creepy objects since it gave him something to focus on besides the thing that had scared him. Suddenly, he had an idea. Grabbing you by the arm, he pulled you up and started dragging you out into the corridor. “What? Ben what’re you–”

“You’ll see,” was all he said in response.

* * * * * * * * * *

The astronomy tower was empty, just as Ben had hoped, but he forgot how terribly cold it would be. The cold wind caused tears to spring into his eyes as soon as he stepped out onto the tower and he could see you shivering as well. Thinking quickly, he took off his Gryffindor robes and draped them over your shoulders. They were comically large on you since Ben had had growth spurts recently and you had remained at the same height. You didn’t say anything but drew the fabric appreciatively around you and stopped shivering. You both had reached the edge of the astronomy tower and sat down, the cold from the stones cutting through Ben’s trousers. For a long time, it was silent with the exception of the harsh winter wind blowing around them. Unprompted, you broke the silence. “Why did you take me here?”

The question wasn’t accusatory at all, it was genuinely curious, but you sounded so weary that it made Ben hesitant to say anything. As if him talking would cause you to break down again. Without looking at you he said, “This is where I come sometimes when I get scared.”

“Really?” He turned to look at you and made direct eye contact. “No, I’m afraid of heights,” Ben said with a smile. You offered a weak smile back before turning and looking back over the expanse of the Hogwarts grounds. “I just figured you would like it. I mean it would probably be better if it were warmer, but…you know…it’s still okay,” Ben tried to explain. “Yeah,” was all you said in response. There was another long stretch of silence as Ben just looked at you. You were no longer the fiery first year that he had met so long ago. So much had happened since then and you had grown so much. And yet, as he saw you sitting there on the astronomy tower wrapped in his robes with such a distant look in your eyes, you looked like you were eleven again. It reminded Ben that no matter how much you went through and how much you seemed to grow and change, that little girl who just wants her brother back is always within you. Ben turned away and studied the view. He supposed that meant that the cowardly little boy that he used to be will always be within him as well. But you never seemed to mind when he was cowardly, unlike everyone else. Even Penny seemed to get fed up with him sometimes, but you never did. You always just talked about how you believed in him, and how everyone gets scared, but that it was okay because there were friends that loved and supported him. Even if he still felt scared, it was always nice to be reminded of how much you cared. He wondered when the last time someone said something like that to you was.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to try his best. “Hey, um, [Y/N]?” He could feel your gaze on him, which made him nervous. He didn’t dare look you in the eye because he was afraid if he did he would lose all his nerve. “I know you…probably don’t want to talk about what happened. And that’s okay. I wouldn’t want to either. But I…well…I wanted you to know…you know…that you’re not alone and…” Ben cut himself off. He knew he was sounding way too cliche and not really genuine. He took a moment and then started over.

“Look, I know the way you think and the way you see things. You see the best in people and you care about your friends very deeply. You’re fiercely loyal and brave and would do anything to protect one of your friends. And that’s not a bad thing, [Y/N]. It’s one of the things that makes you so amazing. But there’s another side to that. And its that you blame yourself for things that are out of your control or way above your ability level. I’ve seen you do it before, many times. And I know that you’re afraid of us helping you and getting hurt or even dying because you think it would be your fault. And that’s really scary. I think all of us are afraid of that in some way. I’m terrified of losing you because I did something cowardly or I didn’t act fast enough and you were trying to protect me. I’m scared of that all the time because I know you’d do it in a heartbeat. But at the same time, I’ve grown braver with the knowledge that there’s someone who cares about so much that they would risk their life for me. I never thought that would happen until I met you, [Y/N]. And then you helped me become friends with all these other people. And they help me be brave. I’m brave because Charlie and Bill started to look out for me in the Gryffindor common room until I started standing up to people myself because they showed me how. I’m brave because Penny and Rowan talk to me about charms and potions and transfigurations and I started to realize how much knowledge I had that I shouldn’t be ashamed of. I’m brave because Tonks and Tulip would mess with me and after a while I realized it wasn’t because they thought I was an easy laugh –I mean, it was partially that– but it was also because they saw me as an equal. Andre would help me in flying class and Barnaby would help me in care of magical creatures and they never once spoke down to me. I slowly realized that we all weren’t just friends with you, we were close friends with each other too. And it’s all because of you, [Y\N].

“You showed us how to care deeply for each other because of how deeply you cared for us. You showed us how to be brave and believe in ourselves because of how much you believed in us. You brought this group together that wouldn’t have come together otherwise, but we all cared about you. You encouraged us all to be stronger than we were and I think, with friends like that, there’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re gonna take care of each other because that’s what you taught us to do.”

There was a very long silence and Ben became worried that he had said something wrong. Gathering up all his remaining courage he turned to look at you. You were looking directly at him with fresh tears streaming down your face. Ben started to panic. “Oh God, [Y/N], I didn’t mean to make you cry! I was trying to make you feel better! I’m so sorry I–” But he got cut off by you throwing your arms around him and hugging him tightly. Ben was too shocked to move and he could hear you sobbing in his ear. He still was really worried he had done something wrong, until he heard you whisper “Thank you, Ben.” A wave of relief crashed over him and he wrapped his arms around you, hugging back. And that’s how you two stayed for the better part of five minutes. Finally, Ben pulled back and said, “Alright, now let’s go inside. I’m freezing to death.” You let out a loud peal of laughter as they stood up and wandered back inside.

**Author's Note:**

> I no longer support Ms. Rowling, but I wanted to post this anyway because the game was fun to play and I'm proud of my work


End file.
